15 Jan 2013
It was perhaps the dirtiest game of football I’ve ever witnessed. It was the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart vs. the Franciscans in South Africa back in 2003. The idea of turning the other cheek was dropped in favour of getting the boot in, although in a Christian and caring fashion – you helped the guy back up afterwards. We knew there’d be trouble when the Frans turned up in regular football gear when they’re really supposed to play in habits and open toed sandals. Not my idea, but thems the rules. I think we won – four fouls to three, but the craic was good.
At the moment in Rome the Clericus Cup has kicked off. It’s like the Catholic World Cup for seminarians. It’s a five aside tournament involving seminarians from all around the world studying in Rome. There are over sixteen teams, drawing from seventy countries. A handy innovation we could have done with in South Africa was the blue card, which sin bins offending players for five minutes.
Needless to say many people considering a vocation feel that signing up for religious life means cutting themselves off from real life, a complete withdrawal from the world. Nothing could be further from the truth. The best models of formation are about living faithfully where you are at the time. It’s about listening to God’s invitation in your life. Formation involves a complete system encompassing the academic, personal, pastoral and spiritual. It’s about helping you to become the kind of priest or religious that God is calling you to be, so that you can serve the faithful with all your heart.
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